Deputies Spot And Arrest Suspect Accused Of Asking 14-Year-Old Girl For Sex

Date Added: February 01, 2022 9:40 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

DEPUTIES SPOT & ARREST SUSPECT ACCUSED OF ASKING 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL FOR SEX

Deputies following up on a 14-year-old girl’s report of a man propositioning her for sex as she walked home from school in Deltona have identified and arrested the suspect – a registered sex offender who deputies spotted riding his bike through a neighborhood while they were looking for more security cameras.

The defendant, 49-year-old Shawn Winemiller (DOB 12/18/1972), was wearing clothes that matched the victim’s description from the Thursday afternoon incident, and matched the extremely grainy security footage posted on VSO Facebook and Twitter Monday afternoon.

Around 5:30 p.m. Monday, deputies responded to a home along Elkcam Boulevard in Deltona after a resident saw the Facebook post and discovered his security camera also captured the suspect. Deputies collected that evidence and then began canvassing the area for more cameras. While they were looking, a deputy saw a man approaching on the sidewalk on a bicycle, stopped to talk to him, got his identification and ultimately showed him the surveillance image that captured him after Thursday’s incident.

Deputies then contacted the 14-year-old victim, who positively identified Winemiller as the suspect who approached her and offered her $50 for sex.

Winemiller denied the allegation.

A criminal history check revealed Winemiller is a registered sex offender who was convicted of sexual battery and unlawful sexual activity with certain minors in a 1992 incident in Hillsborough County.

Deputies charged Winemiller with aggravated stalking of a minor and lewd or lascivious battery by encouraging a minor to engage in prostitution or sexual activity. It was also discovered his ID card did not display his sex offender status as required by law, resulting in an additional felony charge.

Winemiller was still being held without bail at the Volusia County Branch Jail as of this writing.